


Safe Keeping

by owenharpersgirl



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Caryl, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-09-26
Packaged: 2018-03-09 02:17:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 14,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3232568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owenharpersgirl/pseuds/owenharpersgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl's always done alright on his own. Sure he's had his brother sometimes, but really he's fine by himself. Until the world ends and he finds himself with this group of people who may actually care about him. Among these people is Carol Peletier and her daughter. For some reason, Daryl finds himself wanting to be with them and he has no idea why.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My Dad Weren't So Great

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead, I am merely a fan
> 
> Note #1: Rated for Dixon language
> 
> Note #2: Sophia will be younger in this story. I know she's twelve in the show, but here she's 9.

Daryl sat outside his tent cleaning his arrows. It was starting to get dark out and he wanted to get this done so he could go hunting in the morning. He could hear the rest of the group talking around their fire, but he ignored them. He had his own little fire going and he was fine to be alone.

Merle had gone with a few of the other group members on a run into the city, leaving Daryl on his own. He was just finishing up with his arrows when he heard a twig crack behind him. He whipped around, hand going to his crossbow. he relaxed slightly when he saw it was just one of the women from the group, Carol he thought her name was.

"Sorry," she said meekly, "I didn't mean to sneak up on you. I just wanted to bring you something to eat."

He stared at her for a moment before nodding his thanks. She smiled hesitantly and set the bowl down before turning and walking back over to the others. He watched her go as she sat down around the fire with her daughter and husband. A husband who was currently looking between him and Carol, a murderous look on his face.

Daryl turned away, scowling. He knew men like Ed Peletier. They were all assholes. He tried to turn his attention back to his task, but he couldn't focus. He couldn't help but worry about what was going to happen to Carol later, once everyone had gone to bed.

WALKINGDEADWALKINGDEADWALKINGDEADWALKINGDEADWALKINGDEADWALKINGDEADWALKINGDEADWALKINGDEADWALKINGDEADWALKING

Daryl awoke in the middle of the night for seemingly no reason at all. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and blinked slowly. Why the hell was he awake right now? He never woke up in the middle of the night for no reason so what the hell was it? He stood up and shoved on his shoes, grabbed his crossbow, and walked out of the tent.

He hadn't been expecting anyone to be awake, so when he exited his tent and saw a little girl - Sophia, he remembered - sitting by herself, he could definitely say he was surprised.

"Ya a'right kid?" he asked and Sophia jumped, not having heard him get up. She looked at him and nodded quickly.

"What're ya doin' out here? It's the middle of the nigh'," Daryl said and Sophia glanced back at the tent she shared with her parents, not saying a word.

"Yer momma know yer out here?" Daryl asked.

"Momma sent me out here," she replied quietly and Daryl raised his eyebrows at that. He had hardly seen Carol let the little girl out of her sight. And if she did then Sophia was with Lori or Dale. Why the hell would she sent her out here in the middle of the night on her own?

"She said her and daddy needed some time alone."

Daryl looked from the girl to her tent and back, his jaw tightening. He knew exactly what that meant and he could tell Sophia did too. He had half a mind to go into that tent and drag Ed Peletier out and beat him to a pulp. But he knew that wouldn't do any good. It would just get him sent packing. At least here he could keep an eye on things. He looked at Sophia again. The little girl looked so sad. Daryl wasn't very good with emotions and feelings and making people feel better, but he had to do something. He knew how it was, to see your dad beating on the rest of your family. She needed to know not everyone was like that.

"Ya know," he started, "My dad weren't so nice either."

"He wasn't?" Sophia asked, looking over at him.

"Naw," Daryl said, "Used ta get drunk a lot and he didn't really like me or Merle. Not really a good combination."

"Did he ever hurt you?" Sophia asked quietly. Daryl hesitated for a moment before nodding, not really sure why he was telling her all of this.

"Mine does too sometimes," Sophia murmured, "But momma tries to stop him. I think that's why she sent me out here tonight."

Daryl felt his blood boiling at the thought of that bastard putting his hands on the little girl in front of him, or her mother. Once again, Daryl felt the urge to go into that tent-

The tent flap opened and Carol walked out. She looked shocked for a moment at seeming her daughter and Daryl together.

"I didn't think anyone else was up," Carol said, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I woke up a few minutes ago," Daryl said and she nodded. Sophia stood and walked over to her mother, gently gripping her hand.

"I hope she wasn't-" Carol started.

"She was fine," Daryl started and Carol smiled, looking relieved.

"Momma, Daryl's daddy was mean too," Sophia whispered loudly to her mother. Carol once again looked shocked for a moment and Daryl shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. She nodded her thanks at him for whatever and Sophia had talked about and he nodded back.

"Hey," he called quietly as they walked away, "You ever get scared, come find me, a'right? I won't let nothin' bad happen ta ya." He was looking at Sophia, but when his eyes flicked to Carol he saw how grateful she was. She nodded again before leading her daughter into their tent.

Daryl sat for another moment before heading back into his own tent.


	2. Sorry About Your Brother

Merle didn't come back. Some new cop who was apparently Carol's dad came back and told him he had cuffed Merle to the roof of a building in Atlanta.

Daryl was fuming. He had stalked off to his tent, planning on packing his stuff to go find his brother.

"Daryl?" he heard a voice behind him and whipped around to see Sophia standing there.

"What?" he asked, trying not to sound too harsh.

"I'm sorry about your brother," she said quietly.

"My brother is fine!" he snapped and she stepped back a little, eyes wide. Daryl immediately felt bad.

"Sorry kid," he said, sitting down.

"It's okay, Sophia walked over and sat down next to him, "Momma said you'd be upset about your brother and that I shouldn't bother you. But I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"'m fine kid," he said.

"You know, you can call me Sophia," she said. Daryl nodded, but didn't offer a reply.

"Are you leaving?" Sophia asked.

"Gotta find Merle," he told her.

"But... I don't want you to go," she said sadly.

"I ain't gonna be gone forever," Daryl said, "'sides, the hell's it matter if I'm here or not?"

"It's safer when you're here," Sophia said softly and Daryl looked at her in shock. "Please don't go Daryl. I don't want you to go."

"Look, Sophia, I ain't gone forever," he said, "Jus' a couple days, a'right?" She nodded sadly, but before Daryl could say anything, Carol had walked over.

"Sophia, I told you to leave Daryl alone," she reprimanded her daughter.

"It's a'right," Daryl waved her off, standing up. Sophia got to her feet and started walking back to her mother, but she ran back to Daryl.

"Please be careful Daryl," she said, hugging him tightly around the waist. He stiffened slightly before patting her awkwardly on the back. She ran off to her mother and they walked back to camp, leaving Daryl to wonder what had just happened. He was starting to get attached to that little girl and her mother and he didn't know what to do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two!
> 
> If there's anyone who has died on the show, but you want to see them live in this story, let me know! I won't be killing anyone who hasn't yet died in the show and I can promise I won't be killing Daryl or Carol.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!


	3. Better Off

The attack on the camp had been brutal and it had taken it's toll on everyone. As Daryl stood there and watched Carol drive the pickaxe into her husband's skull, he couldn't help but worry.

"Feel better?" he asked, stepping forward and taking the weapon as she finally held it out to him.

"Yeah," she said, seemingly surprised by her own answer. "I didn't think I would, but I do."

Daryl nodded slowly and looked around. "Where's Sophia?" he asked.

"In the RV with Carl," she replied.

"How's she doin' with all this?" Daryl asked, gesturing to Ed's body.

"Surprisingly well," Carol said, "Ed was never a good father, Sophia knew that, but he was still her father. I thought she might be more upset than she is."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Daryl told her, "Jus' cause he was her father don' mean shit if she knew what he was really like. Ye two are better off without him."

"You really think so?" Carol asked doubtfully.

"Absolutely," Daryl said, "Yer better off."

"I don't think the rest of the group will see it that way," Carol said sadly.

"Wha d'ya mean?" Daryl asked, taking a step towards her. "Someone say somethin' ta ya?"

"No," Carol shook her head, "No one said anything. It's just before... I know everyone let us stay because no one wanted to try and deal with throwing Ed out. Now he's gone and I don't see why anyone would keep us around. I can't help with anything so really all I am is a burden-"

"Hey, stop that," Daryl said, stepping even closer, "Ya ain't no burden, a'right? Ya ain't. Neither is Sophia. Both a ya are wanted here. Ya ain't goin' nowhere alone."

"Why do you care so much?" Carol asked.

Daryl shrugged, staring down at his feet. He jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry," Carol murmured, "I just... thank you. For everything you've done around here."

Daryl shrugged again and Carol sighed gently.

"I'm going to go check on Sophia," she murmured, "Unless, do you want my help with any of these?"

"Naw," Daryl said, "Ya done enough."

Carol smiled gently and nodded once before walking off to check on her daughter, once again leaving Daryl on his own to wonder why it was he cared so much about the Peletier women.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I thought a lot about whether or not I was going to write the attack on the camp, but I don't want to write exactly what happened in the show so I decided to just go straight to the aftermath.
> 
> Things are going to be following pretty closely to what happened in the show (Aside from Daryl, Carol, and Sophia) up until some point when they're at the Greene farm. That's when things will start to change.
> 
> Also, I'm sorry to whoever voted for Ed, Amy, and Jim to live. Anyone who died at the camp that night/was bitten is now dead in this story. I know I didn't mention that in this chapter so I just wanted to make sure you knew.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!


	4. I'll Protect Ya

It was their last night in the Quarry. In the morning they would heading out and driving to the CDC.

Daryl stared at the burning embers of his fire. Part of him was glad to be leaving, moving on somewhere else. Especially since they knew walkers were definitely in the area. But another part of him didn't want to leave. Part of him was hoping that Merle was still alive and would find his way back. leaving the Quarry felt like leaving his brother.

"Daryl?"

He turned and saw Sophia standing there. The little girl seemed determined to be his shadow. What surprised Daryl the most though was that he didn't seem to mind. Daryl nodded her over and the girl scurried to sit next to him.

"Where's yer momma?" he asked.

"She was helping Lori make sure everything is packed for tomorrow," Sophia told him, "So I asked if I could come sit with you. Is that okay?"

Daryl watched her for a moment, his eyes glancing over to where Carol was packing some stuff into one of the cars, before he finally nodded. Sophia beamed at him.

"Why are you always over here by yourself?" Sophia asked.

"I like it," Daryl told her, "Used ta bein' on my own."

"I don't like being alone," Sophia said, "It's scary alone, especially now."

"Ain't so bad," Daryl shrugged.

"Are you scared for tomorrow?" Sophia asked.

"Scared of what?" Daryl questioned.

"Leaving," Sophia said, "We don't know what's out there."

"Naw, not scared," Daryl said, "What's the point? Whatever's out there could come here." He realized half a second later that this was the wrong thing to say as Sophia's eyes widened in horror.

"I don't want the walkers to come back here," she said quietly, "I don't want anyone else to die."

"Ya got yer momma ta protect ya," Daryl said.

"What if the walkers get her?" Sophia whispered.

"Then I'll protect ya," Daryl told her.

"You will?" she asked and he nodded. "Why?"

Daryl just shrugged and Sophia stared at him for a second before she scooted over and hugged him. Daryl stiffened for a second before patting her head awkwardly. She scooted away again just as Carol walked over.

"Hey you, we're al packed for tomorrow so it's time for bed," Carol said. Sophia stood and went over to her mother, wrapping her arms around her.

"Momma, Daryl said he'll protect me from the walkers," she said.

"Did he? Well, I'm definitely glad you hear that," she said, smiling down at Sophia, "Say goodnight to Daryl."

Night Daryl," Sophia beamed at him.

"Night," he said as she and Carol walked away. He sat there quietly, suddenly realizing that Sophia may have been right. Now he was alone, he was aware of just how quiet it was.

"Hey," Carol's voice broke the silence.

"Hey," Daryl said.

"I feel like I keep disturbing you at night," she said, "I know you like to be alone and between me and Sophia-"

"Ya ain't disturbin' me," Daryl interrupted her, "I don' mind the company." she smiled at him and they fell silent. Daryl realized though that this silence was different from the one when he'd been alone.

"Did you mean it?" Carol asked and he looked at her. "About protecting Sophia?"

"Course," Daryl said, "She was scared of what would happen if somethin' ever happened to ya an' I told 'er I'd protect 'er."

"Thank you," Carol said, "It really is a relief for me to know if something ever happens to me that she'll be okay."

"I'll protect ya too," Daryl said, "She don't hafta worry about anythin' happenin' ta her momma cause I ain't gonna let anythin' happen ta ya."

Carol stared at him and Daryl felt the tips of his ears growing warm.

"Thank you," Carol said again and she leaned over and kissed his cheek. He felt his face grow warmer as she pulled back and smiled at him. Daryl nodded slightly and, without another word, Carol stood and walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, and Caryl begins. As mentioned in the previous chapter, things won't really start happening until later when they're at the Greene farm and then even more when they're at the prison. Until then it'll mostly be really little things, but I doubt either of them would really be jumping the other's bones all of a sudden.
> 
> Hope you liked this chapter! Go vote for who you'd like to see live! Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!


	5. The CDC

They were here at the CDC. It felt like forever since they had left the Quarry. Some time between the two places they had left Jim, bitten and burning from fever. Now they were finally here. Rick was banging on the doors, convinced someone was inside.

"Momma, walkers!" Sophia cried, tugging on Carol's hand. Carol turned and saw her daughter was right. All the noise they were making was attacking the walkers right to them.

"Stand back," Daryl growled, pushing her and Sophia back so he was in front of them. he and T-Dog began shooting at the walkers as Shane tried to drag Rick away. Just when Carol thought they were done for, the doors opened. The group froze for a moment before they all ran forward. The man standing inside stared at them all for a moment before he agreed they could stay.

"Anything you need to get, get it now. Once those doors close they won't open again."

"Yer bags in Rick's car?" Daryl asked and Carol nodded.

"You don't have to-" she started, but he had already run outside with Rick, Glenn, and Shane. They ran back with everyone's stuff and Carol took hers and Sophia's bags.

"Thanks," she said quietly and he nodded.

"Follow me," Jenner said. he led them down the hall to an elevator. They rode down and he led them into a small room.

"Have a seat," Jenner said, "This won't take too long."

"Ye a'right?" Daryl asked, sitting on the floor by Carol and Sophia. Carl was getting his blood test done first and Sophia was watching with wide eyes.

"She doesn't like needles," Carol told him.

"Ye ain't got nothin' ta worry 'bout," Daryl said and Sophia looked at him. "It'll be over 'fore ye know it."

"Will it hurt?" she asked. Daryl leaned closer to her.

"If Carl can do it, you'll have no trouble," she whispered and Sophia giggled. Carol shook her head at him, but couldn't help but smile as Sophia relaxed slightly.

When Carl and his parents were done it was Sophia and Carol's turn. Daryl winked at the girl and she laughed again as they walked over to Jenner. He tested all of them, Andrea being the last, before taking them down another hallway where they found something wonderful. Food. And to the delight of the adults, wine. They ate and drank their fill before making their way back to their rooms.

Lori went to shower so Carol took Sophia and Carol to find something to do in the rec room. While the kids found a game to play, Carol sat down on one of the couches with a book, but she wasn't reading it. She couldn't stop thinking about what Daryl had said back at the Quarry. And then when he'd protected her and Sophia from the walkers and got their stuff from the car.

"It was nothing," she said to herself, shaking her head.

"What momma?" Sophia asked, turning to her.

"Nothing sweetheart," Carol smiled at her, "I was just talking to myself."

Sophia nodded and turned back to hers and Carol's game. They played for a while longer before Lori finally joined them. While Lori was looking for a book to read, Carl went to the room he shared with his parents and Carol and Sophia walked down the hall to their room.

"Hey," a voice said behind her and she turned to see Daryl leaning against the doorframe to his room.

"Hey," she said and then looked at Sophia. "Go get ready for bed, I'll be right there." Sophia walked into the room and Carol turned back to Daryl.

"Everything okay?" Carol asked him and he nodded, but said nothing. Carol shifted slightly under his gaze.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Daryl nodded and for a moment he looked like going to speak, but then he just turned and walked into his room, closing the door. She stood there for a moment, confused as to what had just happened.

"Maybe it was nothing," she mumbled before turning and walking into her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the idea what Daryl and Sophia's relationship could've been like and I honestly enjoy writing the little things between them so much.
> 
> Today marks me being on ff.net for six years! It's so crazy to me that I've been writing stories here for six years. It started off as just something I did for fun because I loved writing so much and it's literally inspired me to pursue writing as a career. Thank you so so much to everyone who has read any of my stories as well as to anyone who has favourited/followed/reviewed! It means so much to me so thank you!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you think!


	6. Facing Death

They were going to die. They were locked in the CDC and had less than an hour before they were going to die. Daryl and Shane were swinging axes at the door, but it was no use.

"Jenner, open the door," Rick said.

"I can't," Jenner replied, "I told you, it's too late."

"You can't do this!" Carol said, tears shining in her eyes. "My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this!"

"Quick and painless," Jenner said, "Isn't that better than anything that could happen out there?"

Before she could say anything, Shane had walked over to Jenner, shotgun in hand.

"Open the doors," he growled, pressing the fun against Jenner's face. The others move away from him as Rick tried to talk him down. Shane started firing at the computers and everyone ducked. Sophia had pulled her mother over to stand next to Daryl and he immediately grabbed them, forcing them to the floor. The door was finally opened and everyone ran to grab their stuff.

"Stay close, a'right?" Daryl said to Carol as they ran towards the front doors. She nodded and held Sophia against her as Daryl and Shane attempted to break the window glass. They tried everything: axes, a chair, a shotgun, but nothing worked.

"The glass won't break?" Sophia asked in a scared voice. Daryl walked over and the little girl latched onto his hand.

"Rick, I might have something that can help," Carol said.

"Carol, I don't think a nail file's gonna help right now," Shane said.

"Your first night at the camp, when I washed your uniform, I found this," Carol pulled the grenade out of her bag and Rick took it carefully.

"Get down!" T-Dog shouted and they ran for cover. Daryl and Carol covered Sophia and kept their faces down as an explosion came from behind them.

"It worked!" Carl exclaimed.

"Let's go!" Daryl shouted and they ran for it. Carol and Sophia followed Daryl to his truck and climbed.

"Wait, wait," Carol said as Daryl was about to start up the truck.

"What?" Daryl asked. He looked up and followed Carol's gaze to see Dale and Andrea making their way out of the building. They heard Rick start honking at them.

"Get down!" Daryl said. Carol forced Sophia down onto the floor in front of the passenger seat as she and Daryl ducked as low as they could.

They held their breath and waited for the inevitable explosion and Carol reached over and grabbed a hold of Daryl's hand. Daryl looked at her just as the building went up in flames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so there is a chance Sophia may die in one these stories. I know a lot of people want her to live (I've had more votes for her to live than any other character) and she will live for sure in at least one of them, possibly both. I just haven't totally decided yet. I can promise that if she does die in one of them, other characters that are dead in the show will survive in this.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!


	7. We Ain't All Like That

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the note at the end of the story to vote for who you would like to see live!

Where are we supposed to go now?" Carol asked as they drove down the road. Sophia had fallen asleep about an hour ago and was now leaning against her mother.

"Dunno," Daryl shrugged, "Try ta find somewhere safe I guess."

"Do these places even exist anymore?" Carol asked, "I mean, that's what the CDC was supposed to be right?"

"We'll find somewhere," Daryl said.

Carol didn't say anything, but looked down at her sleeping daughter. The CDC had been one night of bliss. One night where she felt she and Sophia were truly safe. Now that feeling was gone again. Well, mostly. She looked over at Daryl.

"Sorry about before," she mumbled and he glanced at her. "When I grabbed your hand."

"Don' worry about it," Daryl replied gruffly.

"I jus... I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything..."

"Ya didn't," he told her, "So don' worry about it a'right?"

Carol nodded, "Thank you." They drove in silence for a while before Daryl finally spoke.

"How're ya doin'?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," Carol said automatically and he glanced at her again, eyebrows raised.

"I don't know how I am," Carol answered after a moment. "Everything seems to have happened so fast lately and I just..." She shook her head and then turned to look at him.

"Why are you protecting us?" she asked and he looked startled by her question.

"What?" he asked.

"Why are you protecting us?" she asked.

"I told ya I would-"

"Yes, but why?" Carol questioned him, "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful. Knowing Sophia is safe is all I want in this world right now. But why do you care so much? When you first joined our camp you and Merle couldn't have cared less about any of us. Now you're going out of your way to protect me and my daughter. Why?"

"I just... I..." Carol had never seen Daryl this flustered before and she couldn't help but think it was rather cute.

"I know what Ed used ta do ta ya," Daryl finally said and Carol stiffened, "No one deserves that."

"So all this is out of pity?" she asked.

"No!" he exclaimed and she hushed him, looking down at Sophia. Daryl glanced down too and was relieved to see she was still sleeping. No way he could've said any of this if she could hear him.

"If not pity then what is it?" Carol asked.

"I just... I wanted ye ta know that we ain't all like that," Daryl said and he could feel his face burning at the admission. "I want ta make sure ye an' Sophia ain't ever hurt like that' again." Carol stared at him for a moment.

"And how are you going to do that?" she asked quietly. He glanced at her, his hand reaching out slightly before he pulled it back. Carol reached out her own and gently laced her fingers with his.

"Okay," she nodded.

He breathed a sigh of relief and nodded too before focusing his attention back on the road and the cars in front of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Caryl before they're actually Caryl is so hard! I've written fics with Caryl relationship and Caryl friendship, but this is my first attempt at writing them when things are still kind of awkward so I hope I'm doing alright so far.
> 
> Also, the whole point of me writing two Walking Dead stories at the same time was so I could write one where Daryl has his son from the start and the other where he finds his son later on. I've actually written the chapters containing that part of the story, but I'm not really sure if I like it here. I like the idea of, but I'm not sure if I'm actually going to do that now. I will upload the stuff I wrote, but I might just turn that into a short 4-part story and not include it in this. What do you all think?
> 
> Finally, I'm going to be adding the most recent character death from Season 5B to the poll so you guys can vote if you want this person to live. I've been waiting a couple weeks to make sure people had seen the episode so if you haven't yet be warned that there will be spoilers in the poll as of tomorrow.
> 
> Amy (Dixon Family Matters)  
> Ed (Dixon Family Matters)  
> Andrea  
> Sophia  
> Merle  
> Lori  
> Hershel  
> Dale  
> Patricia  
> Shane  
> Jimmy  
> T-Dog  
> Jacqui  
> Jim (Dixon Family Matters)  
> Otis  
> Lizzie  
> Mika  
> Oscar  
> Axel  
> Bob  
> Zach  
> Beth  
> Tyreese
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! Make sure to vote! Let me know what you think! And sorry about the obnoxiously long author's note!


	8. On the Road Again

Walkers. There were walkers everywhere. The group was scattered and hiding under cars. Carol was hiding with Lori, but wanted nothing more than to run across the road and hold her daughter. The herd was starting to thin out, but Carol knew they'd have to wait a while longer in case there were any stragglers. She saw Sophia start to crawl out from under the car and she wanted to call out to her to stay where she was, but knew doing so would only cause them more problems.

Everything seemed fine for a moment, but then she heard the growls. Time seemed to pass in slow motion as Sophia crawled out from under the car and ran. She watched as Rick ran after her and she and Lori slipped out from under their car.

"Lori, there's two of those things after my baby!" she cried as they stood on the road, staring at the forest Sophia had run into. The others were running over to them now.

"What happened?" Daryl asked.

"There's two walkers after Sophia," Lori told him.

"The hell're we standin' round here for?" he exclaimed, stepping over the railing.

"Rick went after them," Lori said.

"So? We'll get 'er back faster if more 'an one of us is out there. 'sides, all Rick has is a gun he can't shoot," Daryl said and turned around to make his way down the hill. He made it to the bottom and turned to see Shane and Glenn following him. They joined him at the bottom and Shane nodded at him one and then they headed off into the forest , Daryl leading the way as they followed Rick's footsteps. They met up with the former sheriff at the river.

"She was here," he said as Daryl jumped down into the water with him. "I left her here so I could lead the walkers away. I told her to go that way and keep the sun on her left shoulder."

"Man, she was tired and scared, probably doesn't know her left from her right," Shane said.

"Shane, she knew exactly what I said!" Rick argued.

"We got some tracks over here," Daryl said, "C'mon." He led the others through the woods, following Sophia's prints.

"She did as you said," Daryl said, crouching down, "She was doin' a'right til she got here. She swerved off that way."

"Why would she do that?" Glenn asked.

"Maybe she saw something? Spooked her?" Shane suggested.

"Walker?" Glenn guessed.

"I don't see any other footprints," Daryl shook his head.

"Should we go after her?" Glenn asked.

"No, you and Shane should go back to the highway before everyone starts to panic," Rick replied, "Me and Daryl will keep looking." Shane and Glenn began their trek back to the highway while Daryl and Rick continued after Sophia.

"I just left her for a minute," Rick said, "I led the walkers away from her."

"Ye did what ye had ta do," Daryl said, "No point beatin' yerself up fer it. Now we jus' gotta find 'er."

Rick nodded and fell silent as he followed half a step behind Daryl.

SAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPING

Back on the highway, Carol was standing against the guardrail, hoping and praying that her daughter would come out of the trees.

"How're you holding up?" Dale asked, coming up behind her. She tried to smile at him, but it came across more as a grimace.

"She'll be okay," Dale tried to assure her, but Carol wasn't convinced.

"Daryl said he'd look out for hr," Carol murmured so only Dale could hear, "Our last night at the Quarry... he said he'd keep both of us safe."

"Daryl's a good man," Dale said.

"He is," Carol agreed, taking a deep breath. "Sophia's just a child. She's just a little girl and she's alone out there."

"They're find her," Dale said, resting a hand on her shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why, but I've always loved the idea of Dale kind of looking out for Daryl.
> 
> Also, without giving away any spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen it, can I just say how much I loved Sunday's episode? The whole episode had me on the edge of my seat and the Daryl-Carol interaction was adorable.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!


	9. Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Swearing

They didn't find her. They had looked and looked, even cut open a walker, but there was nothing.

Daryl and Rick had returned to the highway an hour ago, just before it go dark. As soon as he saw the look on Carol's face, Daryl had hated himself. He had told her he would look after Sophia and so far he'd done a pretty shit job of it.

Most of the group was asleep now, spread out in different cars. Dale was sat on top of the RV, keeping watch. He had thought he was the only one awake and was surprised when Daryl climbed on top of the RV.

"I would've thought you'd be asleep," Dale said, "You're gonna need to rest before you go looking for Sophia tomorrow."

"'m a'right?" Daryl shrugged, "I'll take watch tonight."

"Are you sure?" Dale asked, "You really should get some sleep."

"Ain't tired," Daryl said. Dale could see he was lying, but decided not to push him.

"If you get tired just wake me and I'll take over," he said, patting Daryl's shoulder gently. He noticed the way Daryl flinched slightly and removed his hand quickly before climbing down the ladder and entering the RV.

"I thought you were on watch?" Andrea asked,

"Daryl volunteered to take over," Dale whispered and glanced over at Carol who he thought was sleeping, "I think hew feels guilty about not finding Sophia."

Andrea nodded in understanding and they both fell silent, soon falling asleep. What they didn't know was that Carol wasn't asleep, but had been waiting for Dale and Andrea to drift off before she got up. She crept quietly out of the RV and climbed up the ladder. She made it to the top and was met with Daryl's surprised eyes.

"Hi," he said quietly and Daryl grunted in response.

"What're ya doin' up here?" he asked.

"I heard Dale telling Andrea you had volunteered for watch," Carol replied, "Thought you might like some company." When Daryl said nothing, Carol felt her face growing warm.

"You know what, this was stupid," she said, scrambling back over to the ladder. "I'll go."

"Wait," he said and she looked up at him. "Stay."

Carol hesitated, "Are you sure?"

Daryl nodded and Carol slowly made her way over and sat next to him.

"Are you alright?" she asked after a moment.

"'m fine," Daryl said, but Carol wasn't buying it.

"Daryl," she said gently and he grunted, looking down at his hands. She slowly reached over and rest her hand on top of his. He flinched again, just like with Dale, but when Carol went to pull back, Daryl grabbed her hand.

"'m sorry," he mumbled and she looked at him in confusion.

"What for?"

"I said I'd protect her," Daryl said, "Both of ya. Now she's gone-"

"Daryl, it's not your fault," she said, "I should've been watching her better. If I had then she wouldn't have been alone and-"

"This ain't yer fault!" Daryl exclaimed, "We wasn't expectin' a herd ta come through. She got scared, she ran, end of story. Hell, what she did was probably the best thing for her ta do, 'stead of sittin' there and waitin' for someone ta help her. If ya can't fight, run. Simple as."

Carol stared at him. She couldn't remember ever hearing Daryl speak to anyone that much.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"When we find her, I'm gonna teach 'er ta protect herself," Daryl said, "Maybe not a gun, if ye don' wan' that. But a knife or somethin'. Jus' in case."

"I'd like that," Carol said, "Do you think you would show me as well? It'd probably be good for me to learn how to protect the camp."

"Soon as we find Sophia and find a place ta set up camp," Daryl nodded, "I'll show both of ya."

"Thank you," Carol repeated and Daryl nodded.

"You really believe you'll find her?" Carol asked, hating herself for even thinking it.

"Course," Daryl said firmly, "Tha' little girl's gonna be fine. I'll stay out there fer days if I gotta."

Carol didn't bother thanking him again. Instead, she slid a bit closer to his chair and, after a moment's hesitation, leaned slightly against him.

"Is this okay?" she asked, thinking about how he had flinched earlier.

"Ya," Daryl said, "'s fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter they're at the farm.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and don't forget to vote! Let me know what you think!


	10. Step Up

Everything was going from bad to worse. They still hadn't found Sophia and now Carl had been shot. Some women had picked Lori up, taking her to her farm and now Glenn and T-Dog had left to try and find them. Dale, Andrea, Daryl, and Carol were spending another night on the highway, just in case Sophia found her way back on her own. They'd be leaving her some supplies in the morning before making their way to the Greene farm.

Dale was on top of the RV, keeping watch. Carol was in the bed at the back, sobbing quietly as she thought about her daughter spending another night alone in the woods. Andrea was sitting at the table, taking apart her gun and putting it back together again. Meanwhile, Daryl was lying on the floor of the vehicle, trying and failing to get some sleep. He glanced up at Carol and made a decision. Getting to his feet, he went over to Andrea.

"I'm gonna need my clip back," he said and she handed it to him. "I'm gonna walk the road, look for the girl." He looked back at Carol who raised her head to look at him. He nodded once at her before turning and walking out of the RV. He turned back when he heard the door open behind him and Andrea stepped out.

"Gonna take a walk," Daryl told Dale, "Shine a light in the woods. Give the girl somethin' ta look at."

"Is that a good idea?' Dale asked.

"Dale," Andrea said sharply, glaring up at him before walking off. Daryl glanced up at the older man before following after Andrea. They made their way into the woods, hoping their flashlights would attract Sophia's attention and nothing else.

"So, what's going on with you and Carol?" Andrea asked.

"What? Nothin'," Daryl said.

"Come on," Andrea said in exasperation.

"What?" Daryl said again.

"You really expect me to believe there's nothing going on?" Andreas said, "I went to sleep last night and she was in the RV. I get up this morning and she was on top of the RV with you."

"She couldn't sleep," Daryl said, "Too busy worryin' 'bout Sophia. 'stead of sittin' there she said she'd help me keep watch."

"Help you," Andrea smirked.

"Shut up," Daryl mumbled, "Even if there were somethin' goin' on it ain't nobody's business."

"Sorry," Andrea said, "I was only joking." Daryl was silent for a moment.

"I know," he finally said, "Forget it a'right? Let's just look for Sophia."

SAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPING

When they returned to the highway a short while later, they found Carol sitting on top.

"Night," Andrea said, going into the RV. Daryl grunted back as he climbed up the ladder.

"Anything?" Carol asked.

"Not yet," Daryl shook his head, "But we'll her soon. Leave her a sign and some supplies tomorrow morning. Hopefully whoever's at this farm'll have a map of the area. Then we can do this search right."

Carol nodded, blinking rapidly to try and get rid of the tears in her eyes.

"I just hate the thought of her out there all alone," she whispered, "Scared, hungry..."

"She'll be a'right," Daryl assured her, "Hell, I was younger'n her when I got lost. Nine days in the words eating berries and wiping my ass with poison oak."

A laugh escaped Carol and Daryl looked over at her, secretly pleased that his story was cheering her up.

"Sorry," she said, "That sounds... awful-"

"Wasn' so bad," Daryl shrugged, "It's Georgia, not the mountains of Tibet. Aside from my itchy ass I was doin' a'right."

"And they found you?" Carol asked, "Your family?"

"My dad was on a bender with some waitress," Daryl told her, "Merle was doin' another stint in juvie. They didn't even know I was gone." Carol felt a pang in her chest at that, but tried not to let it show on her. Daryl wouldn't appreciate pity.

"Found my way back through," Daryl said and Carol noticed a hint of pride in his voice. "Went straight to the kitchen and made myself a sandwich."

Carol was silent. She could just picture a young Daryl, covered in dirt and grime and who knows what else after nine days alone in the woods.

"That's one thing Sophia's got that I didn't though," Daryl said and Carol look up at him. "People are lookin' fer her. I'd say that's a step up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter ten! Hope you liked it! Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!


	11. What Is This?

It was their fifth night at the Greene farm and everyone was feeling a mix of emotions. Carl was on the mend, but in the process of getting the supplies to save him, one of Hershel's men had been lost. On top of that, Sophia was still missing.

"You alright?" Carol asked Daryl, handing him a plate.

"'m fine," Daryl grunted, "Ain't I supposed to be asking ye that question?"

"Daryl, you left before sunrise and you're just getting back now after everyone's asleep," she said, "You can't keep pushing yourself like this."

"So what, ye want me ta give up?" Daryl growled.

"No! Of course no! I just..."

"What?" Daryl snapped.

"I can't lose you too," she said and Daryl stared at her, not saying anything. He could feel the tips of his ears burning.

"I'm sorry," she stammered, "I didn't-"

"It's a'right," Daryl mumbled, "'m gonna sleep. Headin' out early tomorrow ta look fer Sophia."

He stood and walked into his tent, leaving Carol to sit there, her face burning.

SAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPING

The next morning, Daryl left the farm on one of the horses he'd found in the barn. No one else was up yet, but that didn't matter to Daryl. As far as Daryl was concerned he was the only one taking this search for Sophia seriously.

He had been out for a couple hours when he finally saw something down in the river. He climbed off the horse and slowly made his way down to the water. It was a doll. Sophia's doll.

"Sophia!" he shouted, looking around, "Sophia!" Nothing. Not even a rustle. Daryl continued to look around for a few moments before heading back up and getting on the horse. He continued on for a while longer when something suddenly went wrong. The horse bucked up and, try as he might, Daryl couldn't hold on. H went crashing down the cliff side and landed in the water, pain shooting through his side.

SAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPING

It was getting dark and Daryl still wasn't back yet. He had been gone by the time everyone else had got up and now Carol was starting to worry. What if something had happened? She knew he had taken one of Hershel's horses out, but what if something happened to the horse and Daryl couldn't get back.?

"You okay?" Lori asked and Carol jumped.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm-"

A shot rang out and the two women looked at each with wide eyes before running out the door. Andrea was on top of the RV, shotgun in hand.

"Rick!" Lori shouted as they ran over.

"What the hell's going on?" Hershel called as he and his family joined them.

Rick, Shane, and some of the others were walking closer, supporting someone between them.

"Who is that?" Beth asked.

"Oh my god, Daryl," Carol's hand flew up to cover her mouth. "Oh my god, is he alright?"

"Bullet grazed him," Rick said, "But he's got a wound on his side that doesn't look too good."

"Get him in the hose, I'll take a look at it," Hershel said and Rick and Shane half-dragged, half-carried Daryl past them and to the house. Carol made to hollow, but a hand on her arm stopped her.

"He had this," T-Dog said, passing her the doll. She took it gently in her hands and could feel tears welling in her eyes, but she blinked them away.

"Thank you," she said quietly and then turned to follow the others into the house.

SAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPING

"I found it in the river," Daryl said later that night as Carol sat in the chair by the bed. "I'm guessing she either dropped it there or upstream and it floated down. Me an' Rick marked it on the map and it cuts the grid in half."

"That's great," Carol said, though she didn't sound as excited as Daryl thought she would be.

"This is good," he said, "Mean we're gonna find 'er soon."

Carol nodded, but Daryl realized she wasn't really paying attention anymore. At least, not to what he was saying. He pulled the sheet up higher on his chest and watched as   
she shook her head slightly, looking at his face again.

"Sorry," she said.

"Ye a'right?" he asked. She stared at him.

"You nearly died, Daryl," she said, "For a doll."

"No, not fer a doll," Daryl said, "Fer Sophia. Quit talkin' ta Shane! I know that's exactly what he said earlier and that bastard don't know what he's talkin' about!"

"But what if he does?" Carol whispered, "I told you Daryl I can't lose you too."

"Ye ain't losin' me," Daryl said and they both seemed to realize that these words confirmed they did, in fact, have something to lose. "'m gonna find Sophia an' bring her back jus' like I said, a'right?"

Carol nodded slightly, biting her lip and looking down at her hands.

"What is this Daryl?" she asked suddenly.

"What is what?"

"This," she gestured between the two of them, "Am I crazy? Or is there something? I'm only asking because when they were carrying you up and I thought for a second that you were dead... well I felt a lot different than I did when Ed died."

"I don't know what this is," Daryl replied, "I ain't good with this sorta stuff... But ya ain't crazy."

She smiled gently at him, nodding, and reached over to take his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you liked this chapter! I was trying to find a way to write this without writing the whole scene that took place in the show.
> 
> Also, I'm going to be uploading a four-part story that's sort of, but not really, a companion piece to this story. I said a few chapters ago that originally this story would involve Daryl finding his son. I had already three chapters for that, but decided I didn't like that idea for this story anymore.
> 
> So instead, I'm going to be uploading it as a separate story. I've been waiting to upload it until now because it takes place after this chapter happens. It's going to be a four-part story and I will be uploading part one tomorrow! If you're interested, you can go check it out, it's going to be titled 'Harley'.
> 
> Finally, I'm going to be adding the most recent deaths in the poll today so go vote if you want certain people to live! I'll also be removing anyone who has died in both stories up to this point.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!


	12. Sophia

Daryl felt his heart stop and the air catch in his throat. No. This wasn't happening. This wasn't how it was supposed to work. Sophia couldn't be... But she was.

"Sophia! Sophia!" He heard the sound of Carol's running feet and turned just in time to catch her around the waist before she could reach her daughter. The pair of them fell to the ground, Daryl still holding tightly to Carol.

"Sophia..." she whimpered, tears flowing freely. The group stood in shock, all of them staring at the child-walker stumbling towards them.

"Don't look," Daryl murmured to Carol as Rick stepped forward and raised his gun. Carol pressed her face into the ground, sobs wracking her body as a gunshot rang out and Sophia crumbled to the ground.

"Don't look," Daryl said again, pulling Carol to her feet. She pushed him away and stumbled to the RV, wanting to get as far from the others as possible.

Daryl threw one last look at the rest of the group, his faze lingering angrily on Shane for a moment, before following after Carol. She was sitting at the table in the RV and Daryl entered quietly, propping himself up on the counter.

"'m sorry," he mumbled, "I shoulda looked harder... stayed out longer..."

"Are you really blaming yourself for this?" Carol asked tightly, looking over at him. He felt his throat tighten at the sight of her red rimmed eyes.

"I promised I'd protect ya both," Daryl mumbled, "An' I didn't do that. now..." He sighed, frustrated, "'m sorry."

"It isn't your fault Daryl," she said monotonously, "We knew this would probably happen-"

"No we didn't!" Daryl exclaimed, "We didn't know this was gonna happen! I thought we were gonna find her! I though I was gonna bring her back ta ya!"

Carol stared at him open mouthed, trying to figure out what to say, but Daryl wasn't finished yet.

"Maybe ye gave up on her, but I didn't!" he shouted, "I neatly killed myself looking' fer her and now yer tellin' me ye gave up on her!"

Carol continued to stare at him. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, turning away t look out the window.

Daryl thought about leaving, going and sitting by himself in his tent. But he'd have to pass the rest of the group to get there and he really didn't feel like dealing with them right now. He also didn't want to stay here, feeling like a jackass for yelling at her, but it was better than facing the rest of the group. So she stayed where he was, sitting on the countertop and staring down at his hands. He wasn't sure how long they sat there, but eventually Lori entered the RV.

"We're ready," she said, looking between them.

"I'm not going," Carol said quietly.

"Look, Carol, I know this is hard, but maybe saying goodbye-"

"I said I'm not going!" Carol said sharply and Lori looked at Daryl. The man nodded once and Lori left.

"Carol-" he started.

"I didn't give up on her," Carol said quietly, "It was just easier to think she was dead than waiting to find out." She turned to look and Daryl think he'd ever seen anyone look so beat down before. "I can't go out there Daryl. My daughter... she died a long time ago, back on that highway. That thing out there is not my daughter. It's not my Sophia. And I can't... I can't..." She broke down, resting her head in her hands.

"I gotta go out there," Daryl said, hopping down off the counter. Carol looked up at him and he shrugged. "I gotta. Will ya come? I know ya don't wanna, but... I gotta go..."

Carol looked at him, noticing the way he shifted nervously and stammered. She knew what he was really saying without him having to say it. "I have to go out there. I have to say goodbye to her. But please don't make me do it alone.”

Part of her wanted to say no. She wanted to tell him that she wouldn't go with him. That she wouldn't stand in front of a grave and say goodbye to her daughter. But she couldn't. All Daryl had done for her and Sophia... He acted like he didn't care, but she could see through it. Sophia had seen through it too. Daryl had cared about that girl more than Ed ever had. After all the support Daryl had given her since Sophia went missing, she could support him through this.

Carol nodded. "Okay," she said, getting to her feet. They left the RV and slowly started making their way over to where the others were standing.

"Sorry fer what I said earlier," Daryl muttered to her, "I just..."

"I know," she said, just as quietly, "It's okay." She twined her fingers through his as they walked. "It wasn't your fault Daryl."

He looked down at her as they stopped just behind where the rest of the group was waiting.

"It wasn't," Carol insisted, "You cared about her and you did everything you could for her. None of this was your fault."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness this chapter was so hard to write! I'm so sorry! I didn't want to kill Sophia, but after a lot of thinking and brainstorming, it was the best move for this story.
> 
> However, I can say that because she died in this one she will live in 'Dixon Family Matters'. And because Sophia died in this one, I can also say that Mika will live in this story (possibly Lizzie too, I haven't totally decided yet).
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!


	13. Figuring This Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Time jump. The group has left the farm and they are now on the road trying to figure out somewhere to go

They had been on the road for a little over a month and it was starting to get exceptionally cold. So much had happened since they left the farm. Shane was gone, they had lost Andrea, Jimmy, and Patricia, Lori's pregnancy was now starting to show which seemed to be putting even more of a strain on her relationship with Rick and Carl, and somewhere along the lines, something between Daryl and Carol had changed.

Neither of them knew exactly when it happened, but the pair suddenly found themselves spending more and more time together. They would go searching for water together, Carol had started going with Daryl on a few of the occasions he would go hunting, and every night they laid down next to each other by the fire. None of the questioned it, though whether this was because they hadn't noticed or they were too tired and too cold to notice, Daryl and Carol didn't know.

Tonight it was especially cold and everyone had huddled into their own little groups to try and stay warm. Carol looked over at where Daryl sat alone, leaning against a tree, taking the first watch shift. She sighed and got to her feet, picking her blanket up as she went. Daryl looked up at her as she walked over.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked, smiling hesitantly. He nodded slightly and moved over so she could lean against the tree. She sat next to him and draped the blanket over them.

"Thanks," he said quietly.

"No problem," she smiled, "You think we'll find somewhere permanent soon?"

"Hope so," Daryl said, "Gettin' too damn cold to be out here."

"We need to find somewhere to stay before Lori has the baby," Carol said and Daryl grunted in agreement. "What if we can't find somewhere?"

Daryl glanced at her. "We will."

"But what if we don't?" Carol pressed.

"Well figure something out," Daryl said firmly, and he sounded so sure of it that she couldn't help but believe him. Carol stared at him for a moment before moving a little closer so their shoulders were pressed together before sliding her arm through his and leaning her head back.

"We'll figure this out," Daryl said, "We gotta figure this out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I wasn't crazy about this chapter cause it's more of a filler chapter. The next one will be kind of similar. Basically another filler (though something more exciting does happen) and there will also be another time jump. In the show the group was on the road for 6-8 months I think (I'm basing this on Lori's pregnancy in the show), but I couldn't think of enough exciting stuff to happen to write them on the road for 8 months. I'm sure there is stuff, but honestly I really want to get them to the prison because that's where things are going to start changing a bit more from the show. So, they should be reaching the prison in about two chapters.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!


	14. Trouble Dealing

Three months passed and the group still hadn't found a place to settle down. They were moving from house to house, sometimes sleeping in their cars. The group had changed. They were all on edge and the lack of food and shelter was starting to divide them.

They had decided to stop for a while. They were running low on gas again and needed to figure out a plan before they went any further.

"I'm gonna go hunt," Daryl told Rick, "See if I can find anythin'."

"Don't go too far, once we've got a direction we're heading out again," Rick said. Daryl nodded and started heading into the woods.

"You want some company?" Carol asked and Daryl gestured for her to follow.

"What are you hoping to find?" she asked.

"At this point, anythin'," Daryl said, "Too damn cold for most animals. Maybe a couple squirrels. Mostly I jus' wanted ta get away from all of them."

"Do you want me to go? I can leave you alone," Carol said.

"Naw, yer a'right," Daryl said and Carol smirked.

"Well, good to know you can tolerate one of us," she said and he snorted, shaking his head.

"You told me we'd find somewhere," she went on, "Are you starting to doubt that?"

"Maybe," he said, "But I don't doubt Rick. He knows what he's doin' and it might take a while, but he'll figure it out."

"How are you so sure?"

"Gotta be," she shrugged, "We found the CDC, the farm, there's gotta be somewhere out there to go. We'll find it."

"Thank you," Carol said.

"What for?"

"Everything," Carol replied, "Protecting me and Sophia, looking for her as hard as you did, and everything you've done since then. You're a good man."

Daryl ducked his head, blushing. "Stop."

"Sorry," she laughed quietly, "I just wanted you to know how much you mean to me, to all of us. Rick may be our leader, but we wouldn't have made it this far without you."

Daryl scoffed and Carol nudged his shoulder with hers.

"I'm serious," she said, smiling, "You mean a lot to me Daryl."

He glanced at her and nodded once, knowing that she would understand what he meant without having to say.

They walked for a while longer without finding anything before Daryl finally decided they should head back.

"I'm sorry I didn't find her in time," Daryl muttered.

"Daryl, we've been through this," Carol said in exasperation, "It wasn't you fault."

"I woulda protected her," Daryl went on, completely ignoring Carol's words. "I know Ed was a bastard, but I woulda protected her. Kept her safe, fed, I woulda done right by her. By both of ya."

"Daryl," Carol stepped in front of him and gripped his shoulders. She stared at him for a moment before gathering every ounce of courage she possessed before leaning forwards and pressing her lips to his.

The kiss lasted for less than a second and if it weren't for the bright red colouring that flooded Carol's cheeks, Daryl might've thought he'd imagined it.

"Sorry," she said, "I just..." She bit her lip nervously.

"A'right," he said, looking as uncertain as she felt. "We should head back."

Carol nodded and they started the trek back in silence. For a moment she was worried that she have messed up whatever it was that they had. however, that worry went away when Daryl's hand slipped into hers. he wasn't looking at her, but she knew what he was saying, and Carol couldn't help but smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said last time, this was just sort of a filler chapter, but I was actually pretty pleased with how it turned out. Next chapter they'll be finding the prison and that's where Caryl will really start progressing.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think! New chapter up next Friday!


	15. Two Months Later

Another two months passed before they finally found somewhere. A prison. Daryl never thought he'd be voluntarily breaking into a prison, though he'd never thought the dead would start walking either. He also ever thought he'd... what? have a girlfriend? No, that made him sound like he fourteen. Well, whatever this thing was between him a Carol, he never thought he'd have that either.

They hadn't kissed again since that day in the woods. There hadn't really been any time for the two of them to even talk. With Lori almost eight months along now, Carol was spending most of her time at the other woman's side in case anything happened.

Daryl wasn't even sure what they'd talk about. He looked over at where the rest of the group was sitting, exhausted after a day of clearing walkers out of the courtyard. His eyes landed on Carol and he wasn't exactly sure what he felt. It was certainly different from anything he'd felt before. With anyone.

Daryl snorted. Figures it takes the damn apocalypse for him to even consider getting close to a girl. He can just imagine what Merle would say...

"Brought you something to eat."

He looked down from his perch on the overturned bus and saw Carols standing there. He reached a hand out and helped her up onto the bus.

"Thanks," he said, taking the bowl she held out.

"Knew if I didn't bring you something you wouldn't eat," she said and then looked around. "See anything?"

"Aside from the geeks behind the gate, nothin'," he told her.

Carol nodded and glanced over at the others.

"You know they're all preoccupied right now," Carol said and Daryl looked at her questioningly. "Wanna screw around?"

Daryl scoffed slightly. "Stop." He was smiling as he said it and she laughed.

"We should head over ta the others. See what the plan is," he told her and she nodded. "I'll go down first."

"Even better," she laughed and he glanced over his shoulder at her, scoffing slightly.

He climbed off the bus and reached up to help her down. Sliding his hand into hers, he made to walk over to the group, but Carol tugged on his hand and pulled him back.

"What?" he asked, but instead of answering she kissed him. She went to pull away just as quick as she had before, but Daryl pulled her back against him. He leaned back against the bus and Carol wrapped her arms around this neck. They pulled apart after a moment, both looking a little surprised at what had happened.

"Well..." Carol breathed, "That was..."

"Yeah..." Daryl said.

"We should go back to the others..."

"Yeah..." Daryl repeated, but neither of them moved. They stood there for a few moments in silence, just staring at each other.

"We really need to get back," Carol said, "They'll have noticed we're not on the bus anymore and someone's going to come over."

That got Daryl moving and he straightened up. He laced his fingers through Carol's again and the pair walked over to the fire, listening to Rick go over the plan for tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely loved the interaction between them at this moment on the show and just had to include it, with a little twist. Like I said, now they're at the prison Caryl will really start moving forward.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!


	16. Home Sweet Prison

They had managed to clear out one of the cellblocks and the group were now getting settled inside.

"Hey."

Carol looked over at the entranceway to her cell and saw Daryl standing there.

"Hey," she smiled, "What's up?"

Daryl shrugged and leaned against the wall.

"You good in here?" he asked, "Thought ya were claustrophobic?"

"Normally I am, but having the bars there and being able to see out seems to help," Carol replied, "How about you? How's the perch?" She smiled teasingly at him.

"Good," Daryl nodded and looked around the cell, "You gonna stay down here on the ground floor forever?"

"Just until Lori has the baby," Carol told him, "I want to be close by if something happens, but once the baby gets here I figured I'd move upstairs. That okay with you?"

Daryl nodded.

"Hey Daryl! We're just about read to go!" Glenn called.

"A'right," he said over his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" Carol asked him quickly.

"Gonna go check out the tombs, clear 'em out and see what we can find," Daryl replied and Carol nodded in understanding.

"Alright, well, be careful," she said.

Daryl bit his lip for a moment, seeming to debate with himself as he glanced over his shoulder. The rest of the group were preoccupied. Daryl darted forward and kissed her swiftly before leaving the cell and joining the others without saying a word.

Carol stared after him, a smile playing on her lips. Yes, she would definitely be moving upstairs after Lori had her baby, and she'd be moving as close to the perch as she could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I took a bit of an unexpected break from all my fanfics because life kind of got in the way. I've had a lot going on and while I was still writing constantly, finding the time to type anything except blog posts wasn't really possible for a while.
> 
> Occasionally there will be times where I need to take a break from updates because there's other stuff going on, but usually I'll let you know in future. 
> 
> I actually really liked this chapter. It was short, but I'm really enjoying kind of playing around with Daryl and Carol's relationship and figuring out where things are going to go.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!


	17. Downhill

Daryl couldn't believe how fast things had gone downhill for them. One minute they were clearing walkers out of the tombs and the next Hershel had been bit and Rick was hacking off the old guy's leg. Daryl watched in disgust as Rick brought the hatchet down one last time and felt his stomach lurch. Skinning squirrels was one thing, this was... something else...

"Oh god," Maggie said through her tears as she looked down at her father.

Daryl glanced at Rick who was looking at Hershel as if he couldn't believe what he had just done. However, before Daryl could say anything his gaze was drawn behind Rick when something moved.

"Down," he said and Rick and Glenn glanced at him before dropped to the ground as Daryl aimed his crossbow across the room. The others looked over just as several men stood and stared out at them.

'Great,' Daryl though, 'As if we didn't have enough shit ta deal with."

"Holy shit," one of the men said, staring at the bloody scene in front of them. But they didn't have time to deal with that right now.

"Come on," Rick said and he, Glenn, and Maggie lifted Hershel onto a metal table. T-Dog opened the door and they rushed out, Daryl followed behind all the while keeping an eye on the men.

"Carl! Open the door!" Rick shouted as they got closer and even with all the commotion Daryl could hear the gate opening a moment later.

They got Hershel inside, but Daryl didn't follow. He turned and aimed his crossbow, waiting. Sure enough, a few seconds later, the men from the cafeteria appeared in the doorway. They stopped when they saw Daryl.

"That's far enough," he growled, watching them closely. There was shouting from inside the cellblock and the men peered over Daryl's shoulder.

"What's going on in there?" one of them asked.

"None of yer damn business," Daryl said roughly.

"Oh I think it is," the man replied, Cellblock C is my cellblock, I got stuff in there."

"Ain't nothin' in there for ya," Daryl said, "Matter of fact, today's yer luck day fellas, you've been pardoned by the state of Georgia."

"We ain't leaving'!" one of the men said angrily.

"Well ya ain't comin' in neither!" T-Dog said, walking out of the cellblock.

"This is my house, my rules," the man who seemed to be the leader said, "I go where I damn well please!"

"I ain't gonna tell ya again!" Daryl shouted, "There ain't nothin' for ya here!"

The men started shouted over them an Daryl and T-Dog shouted back, their voices getting lost in the noise.

"Hey, hey! Enough!" Rick yelled, "There's no need for this!"

"How may of you in there?"

"Too many for you to handle," Rick replied.

"Come on," one of the prisoners said, "Dude's leg is messed up."

"Yeah, so why not take him to a hospital or somethin'?"

Daryl glanced at Rick and saw the other man was just as confused as he was.

"How long you guys been in here?" Rick asked.

"242 days."

Well that explained it. These guys had no idea what had been going on out there.

"There are no hospital," T-Dog told them.

"What?"

"No hospitals, no police, no military," Rick on, "They're all gone. Everything's gone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so hard to write! Getting the prisoners right was a lot harder than I thought it would be and I just kept rewatching this moment over and over to try and make sure I was writing made sense and wasn't too far off the mark.


	18. Settling In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Dixon and Grimes Swears

"How's he doin'?" Daryl asked, leaning against the cel door.

"About as well as can be expected for a man who had his leg cut off," Carol replied without looking up. "Just need to wait for him to wake up now. What's going on out there?"

"Prisoners," Daryl replied, reaching his hand out to help Carol up as Maggie took her place next to her father's bed. "Seems they've been here since this whole thing started. Don't got a clue what's been going on."

"Wow, I don't know if they're lucky or..." Carol said and Daryl nodded. "You think they're dangerous?"

"Maybe," Daryl shrugged, "Rick seems to think so."

"But you don't?" Carol asked.

Daryl shrugged again. "I grew up with guys like this. Hell, I coulda been one of these guys if it weren't ger Merle."

"Merle?"

"Every time shit got too rough, he'd tell me ta take off," Daryl told her. "Used ta think it was just cause he got sick of me bein' there till the place he was at got raided."

"He was protecting you," Carol smiled gentle.

"Merle weren't as bad as most people think," Daryl said absently, "Some of these guys probably ain't either. I mean, I wouldn't invite 'em ta share a cell or nothin', but I doubt we got too much ta worry about. At least with a few of 'em."

Carol nodded. She definitely wouldn't be inviting any of them to share her cell with her either, Daryl however...

She shook her head. No way could she go there. They had kissed a couple times, they weren't putting a label on it and god she felt like she was back in grade school.

"Ya a'right?" Daryl asked and Carol blinked, looking up at him.

"What?" she asked.

"Ye been starin' at the wall few a few minutes," Daryl said, "It really ain't an interesting wall."

"It's nothing," she said, "I should check on Hershel."

Daryl nodded, "You think he'll wake up?"

"I hope so," she replied, "Things finally seem to be going well, I just hope they can stay like that for a while." She turned and went back into the cell while Daryl wandered over to the main entrance just as Rick walked in.

"So what're we goin'?" he asked the former sheriff?"

"Gonna get 'em set up in another cellblock," Rick said, "Wanna help me clear it out? Sooner we go that the sooner we can get 'em out of here."

"Sure," Daryl nodded and the two of them took off, leaving the cell block and going over to one of the others. It didn't take very long for the two of them to clear it of the few walkers wandering around inside.

"You alright?" Rick asked Daryl as they stood outside and cellblock, staring at the vast expanse of space they suddenly had.

"Fine," Daryl nodded, "You? Ye did just cut a guy's leg off."

"I'm alright actually," Rick said and he sounded surprised at his admission. "Before... I probably wouldn't have been, but now... After everything we've seen... It was the only way to maybe save Hershel's life."

Daryl nodded. He couldn't argue with that.

"So," Rick went on, changing the subject. "You and Carol?"

Daryl felt his cheeks burn as he turned to face Rick.

"I dunno what yer talkin' about," he said.

"Uh huh," Rick smirked, "So you two aren't..."

"We ain't callin' it anythin'," Daryl said immediately, "We're just..."

"Lettin' whatever happens, happen?" Rick guessed and Daryl nodded. "Well good, I'm happy for you. Both of you deserve something good in this shit world."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's chapter 18! Hope you liked it! Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!


	19. Moving Back, Moving Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back!

"Ah, ah, easy does it girl," a familiar, gravely voice said. "Mine's a whole lot bigger'n yours. Now, put down your weapons. That's it, nice an' easy. Now turn around."

The two women slowly turned to face the man and Merle grinned slyly when he saw who it was.

"Ah shit," he laughed, "Blondie. How's about a hug for your ol' pal Merle."

Andrea stared at him for a moment before promptly passing out.

 

It was several hours later when Andrea finally awoke and saw Merle sitting in a chair across the room.

"Bet yer surprised ta see me, ain't ya?" Merle smirked.

"A bit," Andrea admitted, sitting up slowly. "You never came back to camp so we all thought-"

"What? That them geeks had got me?" Merle guessed.

"No, we knew they didn't," Andrea said, "Daryl went back to find you and you were already gone."

"Tell me," Merle leaned forward, "My brother still alive?"

"Last time I saw him," Andrea nodded, "But that was months ago. I don't know where they are now."

Merle nodded, not looking at her as he stood and left the room, leaving Andrea alone. He needed to find his brother.

SAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPING

Hershel woke up. He almost died, he actually stopped breathing for a moment, but he finally woke up and he was going to be fine.

"I don't know if I can handle losing anyone else for a while," Carol admitted as she helped Daryl sort through and clean the weapons they had found. They hadn't been to the armoury yet, wanting to make sure none of the inmates followed them so right now they only had the things they'd found on some of the walkers.

"Well, we don't gotta worry about that now, do we?" Daryl said, throwing one of the helmets away in disgust. Carol laughed. "I don't see why Rick wants this shit, I ain't gonna be wearin' it."

"Oh I don't know, I think it would suit you," Carol joked and Daryl threw her a look. "The helmet, all that armour... You'd look kind of like a rugged Robocop."

Daryl snorted, shaking his head as he glanced at her.

"What?" she laughed, "You don't agree?"

Daryl just kept shaking his head. He huffed, looking over the things in front of him.

"Forget it," he said, "This shit ain't worth it." He held out his hand to help Carol to her feet. "So Glenn mentioned something about you cutting up walkers?"

Carol ducked her head, embarrassed. "Oh, yeah... well I figured if Hershel won't be back to himself for a while so I need to be prepared for when Lori ahs the baby. She had a C-Section with Carl so there's a good chance that's how this baby'll have to be delivered. I want to be ready so nothing goes wrong."

Daryl could hear the worry in her voice. "Everythin'll be fine," he assured her, "Lori an' the baby'll be fine with ya helpin' 'em."

She smiled gently at him. "Thanks Daryl." She sighed. "I should probably go see about getting dinner started. You better tell Rick the verdict on that armour."

"Should I include yer thoughts on Robocop?" Daryl asked with a smirk and she shoved his arm.

Daryl turned to go and find Rick, but Carol stopped him, grabbing his wrist. She leaned over and kissed him quickly before walked away without another word, just as Daryl had done the other day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have no idea how fun this was for me to write. I completely forgot about the episode at Woodbury right near the beginning of season three until I rewatched and I am so excited to have Merle back in this story!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!


	20. Time Away

"Why did you ask m to come?" Carol asked, "All I've done is scare away everything."

"Don't matter," Daryl shrugged, "Not much to find out here right now anyway. Too hot."

"Then why did you insist we come out here?" Carol questioned.

"Get a lay of the land," Daryl said without looking at her. "Get away from everyone. Gettin' too claustrophobic in there."

"If you wanted to be away from everything why am I here?" Carol asked, her confusion growing. Daryl glanced at her and shrugged again, biting his lip. Carol stared at him, realizing dawning on her face as he turned away and began walking again.

"Daryl Dixon, did you ask me out here so we could spend time together away from the others?"

He could hear the teasing tone in her voice and felt his face growing hot.

Carol chuckled and quickened her step to catch up with him. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"That's very sweet," she said, "It's nice to be away fro everyone."

Daryl just shrugged again, but she could see the pleased look on his face.

"So, you think we'll be able to make a life there? At the prison?"

"Think so," Daryl nodded, "Probably take a while to secure everything, but once we do I think it'll be good."

"D'you think we'll find more people?" Carol asked.

"'s a possibility," Daryl replied, "Doubt we're the on'y group out there, ya know? Gotta be others who're lookin' fer a place ta stay."

"And Rick will just let them in?" Carol said doubtfully. "Around Lori and Carl and the baby?"

"He won't let 'em in the cellblock," Daryl said, "Neither will I. Different block, jus' like the prisoners. Get ta know 'em, but keep us safe still."

Carol nodded, threading her fingers through Daryl's. She half expected him to putt away, but smiled gently when he didn't.

"Sophia would've loved it here," Carol said quietly. "All that space to run around... She had never seen a place like this before."

"A prison? I'd hope not," Daryl commented, "Ain't no place fer a little girl."

Carol laughed and nodded. "You know what I mean. She's never had this much space to play before. It would've been great. I could've taught her to shoot... to protect herself..."

"'m really sorry," Daryl said.

"Oh, no!" Carol exclaimed, stopping and placing her hands on either side of Daryl's face so he would look at her. "I wasn't saying any of that to upset you or make you feel bad. I was just thinking out loud, I'm sorry-"

"Don't be," Daryl said, "'m glad ya can talk about her with me."

She nodded.

"We should head back," Daryl said and they started the trek back to the prison.

"Are we- I mean... what are we... um..." Daryl stumbled over his words.

"Haven't we had this conversation before?" Carol asked, smiling in amusement.

"I know, but..." He trailed off, unsure of where he was going with this. Why the hell did he bring this up?

Before Carol had a chance to answer they heard groans and shuffling and Daryl pulled her behind a tree. He held a finger to his lips and she nodded, pressing closer to him as they waited for the couple walkers to pass. Once they did, Daryl and Carol breathed easier.

"We should head back," Daryl said, "'fore more come along. Can't be bothered ta kill 'em today."

Instead of answering, Carol leaned forward and pressed her lips hard against his. Well, that answered his question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven't updated in quite a while. There's been some crazy stuff going on in my life lately which means I've kind of been neglecting all my writing.
> 
> I've managed to get a couple one-shots up, but any chapters for my weekly fanfics have basically been ignored lately. Same with my blog which I've kind of neglected these past few weeks as well.
> 
> I'm hoping to go back to weekly updates, but I don't want to make any promises I can't keep so for now I'll say the new chapter will be up soon.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and all your patience! Let me know what you think!


	21. Everything Went Wrong

'Sofie'. That's what the name on the little paper plate had said.

"You okay?" Maggie asked as she and Daryl walked the dark halls.

"Fine," he said shortly.

"Daryl-"

"Said 'm fine," he snapped. "Let's just get this shit an' go, a'right? Baby can't wait too long."

Maggie nodded and followed after him, knowing that if Daryl really wanted to talk then he would.

They were lucky. A pack of diapers and a couple cans of formula had been left behind. It wasn't much, but it would do until they could make a proper run.

Daryl still didn't say anything as they left the building and got back on the motorcycle. But Maggie didn't understand. She might think she did, but she didn't. Daryl wasn't not talking to her because he didn't want to (not that he particularly wanted to), but more because he couldn't. He wouldn't know where to start.

Carol was gone. T-Dog and Lori too. There was a little baby back at the prison who could die if they didn't get back soon and a boy who had just lost his mother and whose father wasn't in good shape.

Daryl thought the prison was supposed to be better than being outside So far it wasn't seeming that way. Hershel got bit and now... How many more were they going to lose?

Amy, Ed (not that he was a real loss), Jim, Shane (again, not a huge loss), Otis, Patricia, Jimmy, Merle, _Sophia_... Now T-Dog, Lori, and... Carol.

Daryl's grip tightened slightly on the handlebars of his bike. It had been good, him and Carol. It had been really good and Daryl thought that maybe life didn't have to be so awful just because the dead were up and walking.

But he was a Dixon and Dixons didn't get good lives. If nothing had proved this to him before, Sophia and Carol sure as hell did.

Daryl pushed those thoughts aside as the prison came into view. Right now there was a baby girl in there who needed to eat and Daryl would be damned if they lost her too.

SAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPINGSAFEKEEPING

It was late and everyone was asleep. Well, almost everyone.

Maggie was pacing back and forth with a crying Lil' Asskicker in her arms. Glenn sat by watching, wanting to help, but Maggie had already said she was fine.

They heard footsteps and Maggie looked up, seeing Daryl walking towards them.

"Sorry, did she wake you?" Maggie asked.

"Wasn't sleepin'," Daryl replied, "I can take her."

"Oh, no, you don't have to-"

"Maggie," Daryl interrupted, "Ya done a lot today. Ya don't gotta do anymore."

Maggie stared at him as tears welled in her eyes. She nodded and passed the baby off to Daryl as Glenn came and stood behind her, placing his hands on her arms.

"Thank you," he mouthed to Daryl as he steered her to their cell.

Daryl walked out of the cell block, hoping to find a quiet place to sit with the baby. He ended up outside. It was warm out and there was no way the rest of the group would be able to hear her out here.

"Thank you for that," someone said just after Daryl had gotten settled with her. He turned and saw Hershel standing there.

"For what?" he asked.

"For what you said to her," Hershel told him, limping forward. "She's been bearing herself up about this whole thing."

"Ain't her fault," Daryl said, "Wouldn't a' made a difference if it were her or you or-" He stopped, turning back to look at the baby.

"Or Carol?" Hershel guessed and Daryl's jaw tightened. "You two were getting close."

Daryl said nothing.

"Losing people now is hard," Hershel went on, "But losing ones you love."

"Who said I love her?" Daryl asked quickly, an edge to his voice.

Hershel smiled gently at him. "You just did son."

Daryl just stared at him, clenching and unclenching his jaw.

"You're good with her," Hershel said and Daryl looked confused, both at what Hershel had said and the sudden change of subject. Hershel nodded his head at Lil' Asskicker and Daryl looked down. He hadn't even noticed that the baby in his arms had fallen asleep.

"All I done was hold her," he shrugged, "She jus' tired herself out."

"She feels safe with you," Hershel said, "That's good. We're all here to take care of her and Carl, but this little girl feels safe with you and I know Carl does too. They need someone like that, especially now."

"I ain't good with kids," Daryl said.

"That's not what I heard," Hershel said, "And that's not what I saw back on my farm either."

_Sophia_ , that's who Hershel was talking about, Daryl knew.

"You'll be alright Daryl," Hershel said gently before he slowly turned and walked back inside.

Daryl stared after him for a moment before taking a deep breath. He looked down at the baby and knew what he had to do.

He went back inside the prison and found Beth, passing the baby off her to her, before grabbing his crossbow and heading to the tombs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sad chapter :( Things will get better soon!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!


	22. Rescued

Daryl paced up and down in front of the door. A walker lay on the floor, blocking the door from opening completely, but it moved back and forth slightly as if something on the inside of the cell was pushing on it.

Daryl gripped Carol's knife tighter in his hand. He had found it buried in a walker's neck on his way down here. He glanced at the door.

If she was in there, if Carol was... He didn't know if he could do it. But no, he had to. It had to be him. She would want it to be him.

He yanked the walker away from the door and readjusted his grip on the blade before flinging the door open, prepared to lunge.

And there she was. Carol. Very much alive.

Daryl knelt down and put a finger under her chin, lifting her face.

She smiled weakly at him. "I knew... it would... be you."

Daryl chuckled weakly, feeling relief spread through him and he carefully lifted Carol into his arms, carrying her back to the cellblock.

Everyone had been shocked to see her, but that had quickly been replaced by excitement and delight.

Daryl hadn't been able to keep the small smile off his face as he watched reunite with all the memebers of their family. As he watched her hold Lil' Asskicker.

"I just can't believe it," Carol said later that evening as she and Daryl sat outside, the baby cradled in her arms. "Lori..."

"I know," he murmured, "Carl's been having' a tough time with it, but he's strong. He's been real great with Lil' Asskicker."

"I still can't believe you're calling her that," Carol laughed.

"Well she ain't got a proper name yet and it suits her, don't ya think?" Daryl smirked. Carol laughed again, bouncing the infant gently.

"And Rick? How's he been?" she asked, growing sombre.

"He went off fer a while, but I think he's a'right now," Daryl said and then shrugged. "At least, as a'right as he could be right now."

Carol nodded, gazing down at the baby. "She's quiet."

"Yeah."

"Sophia used to wake the neighbours," Carol told him, "3am, like clockwork."

Daryl snorted, picturing Carol trying to baby Sophia to sleep before she woke the entire block.

"Ed used to stay at a friend's until she settled down," Carol went on, "Probably better that way. if he wasn't there, he wasn't yelling."

"Then it was better," Daryl said, "Then she didn't grow up scared ta make a noise. She knew her momma was there when she needed her."

Carol smiled and leaned into his side, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm glad you found me in time," she murmured. "I was worried if you didn't and I turned... I didn't want you to have to deal with that; I didn't want you to have to carry that with you."

"I woulda done it if I had to," Daryl said, "Wouldn't let ya be one of those things."

"Thank you," she said softly, looking up at him. He nodded, chewing at his bottom lip. Carol's gaze flickered to it and she leaned closer to him.

Daryl brought his hand up to cup the back of her head as they kissed for a few moments.

"I was worried we wouldn't be able to that again," she whispered after they had pulled apart.

"Me too," Daryl admitted.

They leaned forward again, deepening the kiss this time, but only for a moment. The baby made a disgruntled noise and they pulled apart, looking down at her.

"Oh I'm sorry, are we ignoring you?" Carol cooed at her and then looked up at Daryl with a sly smirk. "Whatever you were thinking just now? Hold onto that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't keep Caryl apart for too long! Things are really starting to move along now and I'm really enjoying it.
> 
> Also, I know that whole conversation about Sophia actually happens with Beth, but it seemed to fit the moment here so I decided to include it!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you think!


	23. Not Wasting Time

Carol moved to a different cell, the one right across from the perch.

"You sure you don't want to join me in here?" Carol asked, smiling when Daryl blushed.

"Can't sleep in a cage," Daryl shook his head.

"Alright fine," Carol sighed dramatically, "You'll be missing out though."

"Tha' right?" Daryl crossed his arms and leaned against the cell wall.

"Mm hmm," Carol took a couple steps forward. Daryl grabbed her waist and pushed her up against the wall as she laughed quietly.

In the past couple days Daryl and Carol had grown much closer. After thinking they had lost any chance at exploring some sort of relationship they weren't wasting any more time.

"What are you doing today?" Carol asked quietly.

"Goin' on a run with Glenn and Maggie," Daryl replied, "Might try ta do some huntin' while we're out."

"Be careful," she warned him.

"Always am," Daryl said with a smirk as she scoffed. "Ya need anythin' while I'm gone?"

"Same stuff we always need," she shrugged, "And for you guys to return safe."

"We will," Daryl assured her, "Might bring back some squirrel tonight for dinner."

"Oh Mr. Dixon you are too good to me," Carol said, laughing when Daryl blushed even harder than before.

"Stop," he mumbled.

"You're too easy," she laughed and he shook his head, giving her a tiny smile.

"Hey Daryl, you ready to go?" Glenn called from the lower half of the cell block.

"You should go," Carol murmured.

"Yeah..." Daryl nodded, but didn't move. He remained pressed up against her.

"They're going to come looking for you," Carol said, laughing breathlessly.

"Don't care," Daryl mumbled. Carol laughed again, pushing gently on his chest.

"Go," she said, "That way you'll be back before dark and I'll be waiting for you."

Daryl pressed one last kiss to her lips before leaving the room and heading down the steps to join Glenn and Maggie.

"What?" he snapped, walking past them. The couple just smirked and followed him out of the prison, ready to get this run over with as quickly as possible.

Back in her cell, Carol just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed writing this chapter so much. I'm really liking getting to explore the relationship between Daryl and Carol more and more and am excited for where this story is going.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this chapter!
> 
> Also (and any of you also reading "Dixon Family Matters" know this), I am very excited to say I will be going to Fan Expo this weekend! It actually started on Thursday and goes through to Sunday. I won't be there all four days, but I will be there to see The Boondock Saints panel and The Walking Dead panel.
> 
> In a matter of days I will be mere feet from Norman Reedus, Chandler Riggs, and Lennie James and I am so incredibly excited! ! I will also be mere feet from Sean Patrick Flanery (and meeting him!) and David Della Rocco! I am literally freaking out! Let me know if any of you are going


	24. Luck Was On Their Side... Or Not

They'd done alright on this run so far. They hadn't had a specific destination in mine, choosing instead to follow the various surrounding roads on the map and hope they found something. Surprisingly, that had worked.

They'd managed to find a large department store that has obviously picked over, but still had plenty of stuff they could use, particularly baby stuff.

The trio had decided to continue up a bit further to see if they could find anywhere else before heading back.

Daryl signalled to Maggie and Glenn who were following behind him in the truck as he slowed his bike. In front of them was a convenience store that looked relatively untouched.

"What d'you think?" Glenn asked the other two.

"You guys check it out," Daryl told them, "'m gonna hunt, see if I can find anythin' for tonight."

Glenn and Maggie nodded and walked towards the store while Daryl headed off into the woods behind it.

Once again luck seemed to be on their side. Maggie and Glenn managed to find some more supplies while Daryl had successfully caught four squirrels and a rabbit. They were just turning back and heading to the prison when everything went wrong. Daryl was a few feet in front of the truck on his bike when the walkers suddenly broke through the trees in front of him, heading across the road.

Daryl swerved, the bike falling onto it's side and skidding across the road, stopping only after Daryl's head slammed against a tree.

He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain. He could hear the walkers growls and snarls getting louder and blinked hard to try and see them, but all he could see was spots.

"Daryl!"

Glenn slammed on the brakes and the truck skidded to a halt next to where Daryl had stopped. He jumped out of the truck, Maggie following close behind, shooting any walkers that got too close. They pulled the motorcycle off Daryl, wincing at the sight of his leg, but there was no time to see how bad it really was.

"Sorry Daryl, this is probably going to hurt," Glenn said as he and Maggie heaved Daryl to his feet.

Daryl groaned. It felt like the world was spinning as he tried to get his feet under him, tripping and stumbling as Glenn and Maggie dragged him to the truck, pulling him inside the cab.

"Go!" Maggie shouted and Glenn hit the gas, mowing down walkers as they took off.

"Daryl?" Maggie examined the wound on his head that as bleeding steadily. "Can you hear me?"

Daryl nodded, but then winced at the pain that shot through his head.

"Bike?" he croaked.

"We'll go back for the bike," Glenn told him. "Right now we need to get you back to the prison so Hershel can see your head and leg."

Daryl took deep breaths, each bump the truck hit sending shooting paints through his leg and up his body."

"Daryl, stay awake," Maggie commanded as his head lolled to the side.

"We're back!" Glenn said, relieved as the prison came into view.

He could see Carl and Beth ready at the gate and the others coming out of the prison. Even at this distance Glenn could tell they were worried when they didn't see Daryl's bike leading them back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I met Chandler Riggs. Yup, that was a thing. Fan Expo was amazing!
> 
> The Walking Dead panel was great. I ended up getting a photo with Chandler and he was so nice and so adorable and he thanked everyone for coming after the picture was done and it was great.
> 
> Then I went for my photo with Sean Patrick Flanery (which was amazing! And the Boondock Saints panel was fantastic!) and I was so nervous because it's Sean Patrick Flanery. And I get in there for the photo and Norman Reedus is just chilling. Like literally, about three feet from I was standing, he's just hanging out in SPF's photo op area. Yeah, that was amazing and terrifying and I pretty much forgot how to function.
> 
> So yeah, Fan Expo was basically everything I could've hoped and more. It was great!
> 
> Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! Next chapter there will be plenty of angst and fluff, but I promise I'm not going to kill of Daryl. Well, obviously, that would put a pretty abrupt end to this story, wouldn't it?
> 
> Also, sorry this wasn't up Friday! I had to all typed and ready, but then my Internet cut out Thursday night and I was out all day yesterday when it finally came back on!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!


	25. Healing, Soothing, Hoping

"What happened?" Rick shouted, running towards the truck.

"Walkers," Glenn replied, "Herd came through."

"Is he bit?" Carol asked worriedly.

"No," Maggie shook her head, "Crashed his bike though. His leg's pretty messed up and he hit his head."

"Carl, go help Hershel get set up," Rick instructed as he and Glenn supported Daryl between them.

"Daryl, can you hear me?" Rick asked and Daryl groaned in response. Rick and Glenn quickened their pace.

"Lie him here," Hershel said and they lied him down on one of the bunks.

Hershel immediately went to work.

"Hold that on his head," he told Carol who pressed a cloth to Daryl's head wound as Hershel started cutting away Daryl's pant leg. He glanced over his shoulder.

"Rick, Maggie, I'll need your help," he said and the other realized this was their dismissal.

"Didn't think he'd appreciate an audience," Hershel murmured to Rick as the former sheriff knelt next to him.

"What can I do?" Rick asked.

"We're going to need to clean his leg," Hershel said.

Maggie nodded and rushed out of the cell to get some water. She returned only a moment later and Hershel started cleaning.

"How's it looking?" Rick asked.

"He tore it up pretty bad," Hershel replied. "You said he crashed his bike?"

"Yeah," Maggie nodded, "Herd came out of the trees and he swerved, the bike dragged him and bit and he crashed into a tree, hit his head."

"That explains all the dirt," Hershel said, wiping more of the offending substance off Daryl's leg. "Some of these cuts are going to need stitches."

The man groaned.

"Daryl?" Carol said as he groaned again and slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes darter around the cell, but didn't really settle on anything as his breathing picked up.

"Daryl, it's alright," Carol said, but he didn't seem to hear her.

"Help him sit up, might help if he can see outside the cell," Hershel said and Rick and Carol helped Daryl into a sitting position.

The man groaned as the movement jostled his leg.

"I know, I'm sorry," Rick murmured. He nodded at Carol in understanding as she sat behind Daryl, still holding the cloth to his head as she supported him.

"It's okay," she whispered soothingly. "I know you don't like the cells, but you're safe. You were hurt and Hershel's getting you cleaned up."

She had no idea if any of what she was saying was actually making sense to Daryl, but he seemed to be relaxing a bit more as she spoke.

"Hershel's going to stitch you up now so you have to stay still, alright?" she went on. "So long as you stay still we can keep you sitting up like this."

Surprisingly, Daryl did manage to sit still, though whether it was because of what Carol had sad or because he was too out of it to even bother, they didn't know.

Whatever the reason, Hershel soon finished with Daryl's leg and they had to lie him down again on his side so Hershel could see his head.

"It doesn't look too bad," the ex-vet told them. "Gonna need someone to wake him up every couple hours though. He's been pretty out of it and I'm not sure if that's from the pain or a concussion. Other than that we just to wait for him to get better and hope he doesn't get an infection."

Carol brushed some hair off Daryl's forehead as the man slept again. Next time she had a bad gut feeling she was locking Daryl in a cell and never letting him out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Daryl. What's going to happen next?
> 
> Sorry this wasn't up yesterday. I'm actually updating all my fics today thanks to writers block and babysitting.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> So this is going to be my second extended Walking Dead fanfic. I’ve written a couple one-shots and the other multi-chapter fanfiction for The Walking Dead is one I'm working on now.
> 
> Daryl speech is something I’m still getting used to and have been reading a lot of other fanfics to see how other people are writing him so I hope I’m doing alright. 
> 
> I had a poll up asking if people wanted to see Daryl with his son right from the start or find the boy later. The results were split pretty evenly so I decided to just do both. The stories won't be the same so if you're interested in reading the other one you can check it out!
> 
> There will also be a new poll up my profile for this story and my other Walking Dead story so go take a look at that too! If you do vote make sure you vote for the right story. Thanks!
> 
> I'll be updating this story weekly on Fridays. Thanks so much for reading and let me know what you think!
> 
> Also, I want to know from you who you would like to see live in this fic.  
> Amy  
> Ed  
> Andrea  
> Sophia  
> Merle  
> Lori  
> Hershel  
> Dale  
> Patricia  
> Shane  
> Jimmy  
> T-Dog  
> Jacqui  
> Jim  
> Otis  
> Lizzie  
> Mika  
> Oscar  
> Axel  
> Bob  
> Zach  
> Beth


End file.
